


The Day After

by Zen_monk



Series: From Atop the Mount [1]
Category: Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Birthday Presents, Coming of Age, Gen, Promises, Regret, Short & Sweet, milestone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-23
Updated: 2013-06-23
Packaged: 2017-12-15 21:27:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/854233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zen_monk/pseuds/Zen_monk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The day after Cecil's birthday, Kain sent a gift. He sent it not as an apology, but because he thought themselves still friends.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Day After

**Author's Note:**

> Birth date here is non-canon and was made on a whim.

It’s June 23rd and it’s the first time he’s been away from Baron on that date. It’s the day after Cecil’s birthday, and it’s the first time he’d missed it since he met him all those years ago. At certain age milestones there would be more celebrations to be had: 8 years old and Cecil would train for swordsmanship for the first time. 12 years old and he would ride a chocobo on his own and to have as his own steed. 16 and he would choose which military corps to train in. 20 years old and he’s captain of his own squad, and would be fully trained in his chosen job class. 

Cecil would be 21 years old and would be king. 

Kain would think of each year he had been Cecil’s friend and had celebrated each other’s birthdays. First spar with their first swords. The first time they seen each other choosing their preferred job class. The first time that Kain took command of the dragoons and the first time Cecil would be captain of his own airship. Rosa would be with them and all three would celebrate on their own terms and give their own gifts to each other. 

Rosa would have started giving her own gifts to Cecil as more than a friend when both she and him would be 13 years old. And now they wed as husband and wife, and are heroes in their own right. 

Kain looked at the gift he had considered giving to Cecil. He had slain a coeurl while on the plains near Mount Ordeals, when he was getting some relief from training in the mountain. Its hide was of a particularly high grade and he had it treated and cured in Mysidia, alongside removing bone and teeth from it. He asked the tailor there to fashion it into a cloak, with the bone carved as a clasp for decoration. It was handsome with a shimmering blue sheen. It may be summer now, but would prove useful in the harsher winter months.

He resolved to give it to Cecil. 

It wouldn’t be as a gift of apology. It would be him appreciating a year that Cecil is alive. That he still thought himself a friend, even though he left the aforementioned friend and Rosa on their happiest day due to shame. 

He wrote a letter saying: “Happy Birthday, Cecil. Sorry I couldn’t be there at the castle. But I’ll return one day.” 

He had asked one of the mysidians to deliver it to Cecil in person. He hoped it would be received well. 

What he hadn’t thought was that it would be the last thing he would give to Cecil in quite some time.


End file.
